New Site Levels Playing Field for Big, Small Business
[Vancouver, CANADA] Describing itself as the Internet's first true do-it-yourself public relations company, PRMadeEasy.com has begun selling PR tools and advice for a fraction of the cost of a consultant's hourly rate.
PRMadeEasy.com is the first major department of Reputations.com, which is also newly-launched.
"The PR industry won't be happy we've taken away the mystery that translates into expensive service fees for consultants," said Wayne Hartrick, chief executive officer of Reputations.com.
"We're selling paint-by-numbers public relations that more than meets the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses that can't pay big bucks to PR firms."
While a senior PR consultant can charge up to a whopping Cdn $250 (US $375) per hour, the new services introductory subscription is about Cdn $8 (US $12) a month. That modest price tag makes powerful PR tools available to smaller businesses for less than the cost of s single newspaper ad.
Subscribers receive access to more than 50 practical, step-by-step templates, guides, and training courses assisting them to:
- Generate headline-grabbing news releases
- Avoid being misquoted in the media
- Create a crisis communications plan
- Talk to the online media
- Publicize special events
"The US PR industry recorded $3 billion in fees in 1999 and is growing at 30% a year," said Hartrick, who founded the company after 15 years in senior public relations counseling with clients Canada, U.S.A., Europe, and Asia.
"That is translating into a shortage of PR practitioners and soaring rates at a time when business is beginning to recognize that reputation is as important as physical assets."
Reputations.com and PRMadeEasy.com intend to meet the needs of the massive market of small- and medium-sized businesses presently not serviced by the traditional PR industry.